Why I Can’t Get Behind Bobby Lashley As a Heel.

Why I Can’t Get Behind Bobby Lashley As a Heel.

For the past few weeks Bobby Lashley has been flexing his heel muscles. The once smiling yet short tempered baby face has now become a thorn in the side of many of the WWE superstars. Well, at least the ones not on his side. He’s also become a huge thorn in the fans’ side as well—but Lashley himself technically isn’t really the thorn in the side.

To be fair, Lashley has been written poorly for a while. He’s a talented guy, and I sincerely feel he could work as either a face or heel as long as he’s written well. He’s not half bad on the mic, and he is a handsome guy. But creative had likely no idea what to do with him, so they decided to go the heel route and then amp it to 11. How, you may be asking yourself?

By pairing him with Lio Rush, and having Rush be his hype guy.

Now, hype guys and heels are nothing new. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and Paul Heyman are two of my all time favorite hype guys. They’re calculating, conniving, but largely harmful and just plain fun characters. But Rush is written so excessively poorly and over the top annoying it’s not fun. I turn the TV off when he comes on, and at that point I just give up on RAW entirely.

Is Rush effective in making Lashley a heel? Yes. Absolutely. So on that regard creative is doing an excellent job. But glancing through twitter whenever he’s on paints a picture of annoyed fans who would rather be watching something else—myself included. Even the audience looks bored and over it whenever #BobbyLashley and #LioRush are performing. There’s no energy in the building until the match is over.

Obviously this is what WWE management wants. An over the top/annoying hype guy that people will have no choice but to boo Lashley. But it doesn’t make me want to boo. It makes me not want to buy his merchandise, or watch his matches—even if I’m there. On top of that, the two don’t have much in the way of chemistry. It’s hilariously awkward watching them when I do. But it’s just uncomfortable, and surely I can’t be the only one who thinks that.

In the end, Rush is doing a fantastic job of being a prick, so props to him for that. Lashley’s constant mean face is also on point. But until creative really gets the nuances of this new duo right, I can’t watch. Shame too, they both are entertaining on their own.

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